One Fat Englishman

A detailed Summary of One Fat Englishman

2. The author of the novel is Kingsley Amis, copyright 1963.

3. Kingsley Amis was a British writer from England.

Roger Micheldene is the man the book focuses primarily upon. He is "a shortish fat Englishman of forty (6)" and a publisher. Of the seven deadly sins Roger considers himself to be gluttony, sloth and lust. He considers himself most qualified in the sin of anger (8). He is so fat that his hips have fused together and he is forced to wear a brace. He also drinks excessively and uses Snuff. His drink of preference is gin with water added and no ice. He has a wife in England, but still enjoys interludes with women.

His character does not change within the novel. He remains a selfish, fat, Englishman who is quick to anger, is willing to cheat on his wife whenever possible and drinks heavily. Thus he considered a round, fully developed, but static character. Through out the novel he seems to be drawn by a need to receive love from women, although he discounts their thoughts and general stature. Through all his encounters he seeks love from Helene far more than the others. He feels he is a great man when he conquerors her.

Helene Bang was born in Denmark, but he

This obviously hurts Roger, but there's nothing he can say in response.

Roger goes to the Helene's home and the two carry on their affair (56). She eventually walks away from his lap with the excuse that she has a telephone call to make. She then works in the kitchen and tells Roger no more can happen that day because Arthur will be home from school soon. Roger says outright, "Let's go to bed." She says no because it's Halloween and the school will probably let out early. The reader is given a new look at Roger. He is not simply upset with the fact Arthur will be home early, but with the fact Helene did not tell him this earlier. He is upset that he spent the whole day with her and traveled all the way to her home thinking that they'd "go to bed" but thinks the entire day was a waste of his time because they did not. This shows Roger is not solely interested in spending time with Helene, but in receiving sexual pleasure.

r parents brought her to America when she was ten. She settles with her family in Idaho. When she was twenty-one, while on a visit in Denmark, she met Ernst Bang. She married Ernst and moved back to America with him. Although she was born in Denmark she considers herself an American. She is a very attractive woman; many of the male students at Budweiser find her attractive, too. She is a round character, but still static. She lives a life endeared to her husband and son through out the novel. Even in her affair at the end of the novel with Irving she still claims she cannot lie to her husband. However, she confirms she is not in love with Roger, "when I go to bed with you I [simply] feel less sorry for you (185)."

A major conflict within the novel is Roger's lack of self worth due to the fact he is fat. This is evident in the fact that he believes he is too fat to take of more than his jacket on a hot day and his belief that his "mammary development would have been acceptable only if he could have shed half his weight as well as changing his sex (7)." His obsession with drinking also has to do with his lack of self-esteem. He is a womanizer and drinks when he feels down and depressed, nearly all the time.

That night Roger Irving and a young woman play a trick on Roger. Roger ends up with bite marks on his neck, Mollie knowing that he was ready to have an affair with a young woman and Roger left humiliated in the dark on the island. Once again Irving catches Roger off guard.

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Approximate Word count = 4034
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels